Snezana Jovanova-Mitkovska a, Dijana Hristovska b
- Macedonian, Krste Misirkov bb, Stip, R.Macedonia b Macedonian, Probistip, 13, Bitola, R.Macedonia
Abstract
The paper shows the results from testing the opinion of students in fourth year at the Pedagogical Faculty, future teachers, preschool teachers, for the important indicators by which their competence for the performance of teaching, assessment of the teachers and their own work is evaluated, their competence for further lifelong learning, their future professional development. The eight key competencies necessary for lifelong learning are outlined and explained, and the results of testing on a sample survey of 286 respondents are presented, students of pedagogical faculties in the Republic of Macedonia. The factor analysis and procedure for concretization of the numerous indicators is used to determine the competence of contemporary teacher, with prominence are accentuated: met cognitive skills, self-esteem, problem solving, and application of modern ICT, information, mathematical and language literacy, and ability of empirical research.
© 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Key words: core competencies, contemporary teacher, lifelong learning, students
Introduction
21st century is known as a century of change, the century in which the development of science, technique and technology is intensified, the century in which the thirst for acquiring knowledge among young people is getting bigger and bigger. In the last century the importance of lifelong learning, lifelong education is especially underscored.
The term lifelong education is often used as a synonym of the word education throughout the whole life, permanent education and it is termed like "continuous (permanent, lasting) process concerning the education from completion of a degree of formal education until death, or to the end of working life, and education throughout the whole life is related to education from birth to death." (Karanac, R., Zeljko, M., Papic -DãLü, S., cited from the Study of the current situation and trends in the development, The Regional Center for Continuing Education 2005, p.12-14).
The need for lifelong learning, lifelong education is present among all people in all professions, and particularly highlights the need for continuing professional development of teachers. There is a famous dictum of Socrates: “If Athens would have a poor shoemaker, the Athenians would go barefoot, but if it had bad teachers, there would not have been any Athens”.
In this regard it is necessary to work on improving the quality of the educational system because education is a prerequisite for increased productivity and the quality of production. "Hence the objectives and principles of the conception of contemporary education imply a complete restructuring of the traditional education system, update its objectives and content, the change of its methodological basis and restructuring the institutional and organizational forms"( Parliü, J., 1997, p.744).
In order to implement the concept of contemporary education, having in mind the saying of Socrates, it is necessary to operate on the quality of teachers` education, their professional development, meeting the need for permanent education, lifelong learning. Training the teachers to meet the contemporary needs of the youth in the 21st century suggests that it is a profession in which one learns throughout life, shaping and acquiring knowledge, skills, abilities, competencies through constant vocational training programs. Hence, we have set a number of questions, for which we tried to find appropriate answers: What is quality education? Who is responsible for implementation of quality education? Which and what kind of competences a quality, contemporary teacher has, and should have? Who should be involved in training of teachers...?
What is quality education?
One of the strategic goals associated with the development of Macedonia is raising the educational level of the population, especially children and youth. An important factor that depends on the international reputation of Macedonia is the establishment of high educational standards; enhance creativity and innovation, fostering multi-ethnic specificities and cultural differences as well as the use of modern information and communication technology.
In order for our education to correspond with the one which is being nurtured and developed in the developed countries, characterized by dynamic and flexible structure that allows horizontal and vertical mobility of students and teaching staff, the changes occurring in the field of education are accepted in our country. The changes in the educational system should provide: quality; efficiency, mobility, recognition, competence.
Achieving quality in education is a factor that can provide quality in all other areas.
The identification of the term quality often encounters obstacles. Namely, since Aristotle said that there are six terms that cannot be defined including the notion of quality. But, in this moment we have different opinion. Namely, quality as a term has relative meaning – it means property, attribute, virtue, value, good feature.
To answer the question, quality education, can come through appreciation of the changes that are coming due as a result of the action of the holders of the activity "education" The carriers of this activity are the teacher and students. Namely, the changes that occur in the person of the student, that come by consequence of and as a result of the activity of teachers and students themselves, is the area which should be sought after, and to determine the quality of achievement in education.
Quality is something that happens, what can happen in a particular stage or phase of education. Quality education is one that meets the educational (developmental) needs of its users, or education that is tailored to the users. It is affected by a multitude of factors such as: environment, tradition, the conditions in which the educational process is realized, professional competence of teachers. The quality of education mainly focuses on: the input conditions – resources, goals, teacher quality, characteristics of students, the processes - the quality of the teacher is directly associated with quality schools, quality programs, quality of instruction, quality of teaching and results-achievement, attrition, attitudes and aspirations;
The concept of quality in education is not static, it is changing and it means quality teaching knowledge, clear goals and objectives, appropriate teaching methods, continuous feedback, positive relationships and quality learning
- students are advancing well, endurance, respond to the challenge set task, evaluated their own work, help each other.
What is the basic characteristic of quality education?
There are six outlined dimensions in Macedonia that are determined by quality education: inclusiveness; effectiveness; health, safety and productive school environment; gender equality; participation and active participation of all stakeholders in the life and work of the school environment; respecting the rights of children and multiculturalism.
The realization of quality education depends largely on the quality of the work of the primary stakeholders – the teachers. The quality of the teacher depends mostly on:
- The quality of his theoretical and practical training/capacity on universities that produce teachers and builds throughout life;
- the representation of pedagogicalpsychological and methodical disciplines, especially the practical exercises with students in elementary schools in the last two years the number of hours provided for practice realization (pedagogical and methodical);
- Control of the quality of education (in primary and secondary schools, a socalled administrative control is stressed upon, especially the respect of legislation and financial and material operations of schools, little attention is given to professional and pedagogical aspects);
Based on the above mentioned, we can conclude that the quality of education largely depends on the degree of professional and methodical-pedagogical competence of teachers, their professional and material incentives to work, and the desire for development, improvement and self-improvement. So, the teacher is placed in the epicenter of the educational system, which in turn sets a range providing assumptions related to: providing a system for preparing teachers; providing sufficient practical training and instruction; training for the application of modern technology; creating system for continuous learning; creating a system and resources for training; the introduction of a system for promoting and motivating the best teachers and measures to improve others - material, objective, moral motivation of teachers, stimulating the investment of funds to invest in self-knowledge expect higher results, evaluation of educational requirements;
Which roles does the contemporary teacher fulfill?
The educational role of the teacher in modern schools is ever more increased, having in mind the needs for enhancement of the educational process and the active role of all participants in it. The teacher is increasingly occurring in the role of a planner, developer, organizer and realizes the education activities, educator, counselor, diagnostician, therapist and forecaster; coordinator, researcher, confirmatory. "There are large changes in the foreground of the role of teacher to all areas of his work. These changes are caused by new understandings of the role of knowledge, the tasks of teaching and the ratio of direct factors of teaching, the impact of new scientific knowledge about the nature of the learning process, an influence of psychological knowledge about the nature of the child, the role of educational technology, teaching facilities and equipment, application of various media in teaching, the development of extracurricular activities in the car and the application of the cultural role of the school in the social environment" ( Jankoviü, P., 1994, 9).
The teacher needs to be able to follow up on new discoveries in science and profession, the changes in society; to engage maximum in planning, implementation of goals and tasks of education; to optimally use all teaching materials in all stages of implementation of the teaching process; greater focus on education and motivation of pupils; more responsibility for the quality of communication in teaching; involvement of ICT in education, greater involvement in researching in their practice and consequently promoting the same.
For all this to be achieved, to realize all these roles, the teacher should have certain competencies, which as a result of their education to be further improved. The new competencies and changes in the curriculum for the teacher’s education do "reversal of the transfer of knowledge and developing competence as a goal of education”
Emphasis is placed on key competences to be acquired after completing the appropriate level of education.
What are the key competences the students-future-teachers-to-be should have, in accordance with the commitment for quality in European teachers’ education?
See more: Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 28 (2011) 573 – 578